


Proud

by IfIWereATurtle



Category: Electric Century, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-07-19
Packaged: 2018-07-25 10:45:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7529659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IfIWereATurtle/pseuds/IfIWereATurtle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pete is proud of Mikey's performance at the APMAS</p>
            </blockquote>





	Proud

**Author's Note:**

> I got inspired by seeing Mikey Way at yesterday's APMAS, he looked good and happy and I was just proud to see him like that and felt like I might not have been the only one ;)  
> This wasn't supposed to be so angsty, but it kind of wrote itself...  
> Enjoy

It had been an amazing night out for Mikey, even with the close scrutiny that had appeared to be on him from the public's eye.   
He had been presented with the chance to once again do what he loved, to play music on a huge stage, together with people that were his friends. And he had taken it without a moment of hesitation, even though he hadn't expected himself to be ready to face the crowds again, just yet.   
However, it had all turned out pretty awesome. He'd had a lot of fun performing with Andy Black and the rest of the guys, it was great to play music for an audience again. Most other musicians had welcomed him warmly and he felt right at home in their midst.   
Of course, it wasn't like it once used to be, with his brother and his best friends at his side, but it was freeing in a way that playing for My Chemical Romance had never been. He could let himself concentrate on and get lost inside the music, without needing to be someone specific; he was just there to play some bass, after all.   
Still, he had only received good feedback, from fans and colleagues alike. It seemed like everyone was relieved to see him doing so well. And he felt great. For the first time in a while, he felt comfortable being himself in public.   
After the award show had been wrapped up, it didn't even need Jack Barakat to drag him to the after party, he went willingly, giving hugs, handshakes and quick high fives out on the way there, while generally enjoying himself.   
It was good to be amongst old friends and meet interesting, new faces at the same time. 

Mikey felt accomplished and allowed himself to rest for a bit, sitting down on an empty couch in a far corner, from where he could overlook the whole room.   
He leaned back into the soft cushions with a sigh and observed the dancing and mingling party goers. Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrate in his jeans pocket and pulled it out, expecting to see a new text messsge from his brother. The phone, however, kept vibrating - it was a call. Mikey frowned, when he glanced at the display to discover that it was from an unknown number. Shrugging, he decided to take it anyway, so he got up and went outside, where it was a lot more quiet, with the music from inside being muffled and only a few people hanging around to smoke.   
'Hello?', he said uncertainly into the phone's receiver after accepting the call.   
He was shocked by the cheerful answer of 'Hey, Mikeyway!', to say the least, because he knew that voice anywhere, even if it came muffled and slightly tinny through the speakers of his phone.   
'Pete!,' he gasped. 'How did you even get that number?,' Mikey wondered aloud.   
'Well, you know, I know people, who know people. In this case, people means you,' Pete rambled.   
'Sure,' Mikey let out a small chuckle. 'So what is it that you want from me?,' he asked.   
'There's a lot of things I want from you, Mikey,' came the instand reply, and it sounded so serious and resigned that it just had to be honest.   
'But for now I just wanted to congratulate you on that flawless performance at the AP awards'.   
'Thanks, Pete,' Mikey replied softly. He didn't know what to make of that phone call. All he knew was that he had missed that voice, and consequently it's owner. It had been a while since he had let himself think about Pete and their relationship. It wasn't too hard to figure out that Pete still thought about it from time to time, as Mikey always knew exactly when a song was about him. It was as if Pete wanted him to know, with the way he left hints of inside jokes and the like all over them. As if he was subtly saying 'I'm still here, come get me if you want to'.   
But it wasn't that easy, with Pete it never was. The man was a mystery to Mikey.   
They had ended what they thought had been a summer fling at Warped Tour 2005 in mutual agreement.   
It soon had been clear, however, that that had been a huge mistake on both ends. After what they had experienced together, they weren't meant to be apart again. But they had realised that too late. Too much damage had already been done. One thing had lead to another, bitterness had seeped in too quickly, and hurtful things had been said in a spur-of-the-moment way, that couldn't be taken back.   
And so they had established this system of mutual observation, because they obviously still meant a lot to each other and neither was willing to let go completely and move on, but without ever exchanging one single word.   
And the people around them had noticed, of course, and kept trying to get them to talk things out for a while, but eventually, every single person involved had given up on trying to salvage this relationship. Or so it seemed. From then on, when the two of them met, and it was inevitable sometimes for them to meet, they acted like they were old friends. And so it had been ever since. Only, the meetings had become less and less over time and with the breakup of My Chemical Romance, they had become a real rarity. And that was okay for Mikey. He had fallen out of love with Pete a long time ago, that's what he had convinced himself of.   
But there still were moments of doubt, like when he remembered something Pete had said or done with an overwhelming sense of fondness, or when he felt some particular Fall Out Boy lyrics hit him unexpectedly and pierce right through all of his carefully erected walls and into his inner being, giving him the feeling that he understood everything, but, at the same time, was missing a great deal of something important that he just couldn't lay his finger on.   
These moments left him feeling insecure and he tried to avoid them and push them to the very back of his mind, along with the memories of how it had felt to love and be loved by Pete Wentz. 

'I'm so proud of you,' Pete's voice brought him back to the present, and its tone was so honest that it was almost painful. It was the kind of praise that Mikey hadn't known he needed, but brought him such relief that it felt like a literal weight had been lifted off of him. Sure, he knew that approval felt good; his brother's, his friends' and his family's, he had been receiving quite a lot of it recently, but this was on an entirely different level.   
He could feel it melting through him, right down into his core, leaving a warm and tingling sensation in its wake.  
He shuddered at the effect that Pete still seemed to have on him. It made him feel a little helpless, as he wanted to see him, to be able to really talk to him and hold him, and simply be in his presence.   
It hit him hard, in this very moment, how much he actually missed the other man. He had always pushed the feeling away and managed to ignore it pretty well, but now that he had heard Pete's voice, a door had been opened, one that had been closed for so long, that the emotions just came crashing out and down onto him. He stood there for a moment, shocked at the revelation of how much Pete still meant to him.   
Then, coming back to his senses, he replied with a soft 'Thanks, Pete,' once again, but this time not as enthusiastic as before. He sounded utterly defeated. And that was how he felt. He was longing for Pete. He missed him so much but he couldn't have him. Not now, not ever. Too much time had passed.   
'Mikey?,' he heard Pete ask timidly, 'Are you okay?'  
'Yaeh, sure. Fine,' he lied, 'it's just been a long day.'   
'It's been a long few years,' Pete sighed down the line, 'Listen, I know you probably don't want anything to do with me and I get that, but,' he hesitated for a moment, 'you know I'm selfish, Mikey. I saw you perform  and the way you seemed to glow on stage made my heart soar, I know it sounds cheesy, but I had to hear your voice. You look a lot more like the old Mikey, you know, the one I fell in love with,' he swallowed heavily, 'the one I still have feelings for.'   
Mikey's eyes widened and he gasped, triggering Pete to come to some sort of sense, as he quickly started cursing and muttering, 'Shit! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have... Fuck!'   
'No, Pete, it's okay,' Mikey stammered, not even sure of what he was trying to say, but he was cut off by Pete, 'No! I shouldn't have brought it up! You look happy and I just...,' Mikey heard Pete take a deep breath, before the line got cut off. Pete had hung up on him.   
But to his surprise, he could still hear that voice. 'I couldn't stay away,' it concluded from somewhere behind him, and at the same time, there was a warm hand on his shoulder.   
Mikey spun around with a start and he couldn't quite believe his ears and eyes, because, yes, right before him stood none other than Pete Wentz himself, wearing a more serious expression than what is normally expected.   
Without a second thought, Mikey threw himself into the arms of the smaller man and squeezed him close. He breathed in Pete's scent, and even though it wasn't exactly the same as it had been years ago, it still smelled unmistakably like Pete and it felt like coming home.    
They stood like that, embracing each other tightly, for a few minutes, until Mikey leaned down to whisper into Pete's ear, 'You're lucky I still feel the same way.'  
Then he drew back to look at Pete with a frown in place. 'You're here after just a few hours and yet Patrick couldn't make it to the awards?,' he questioned, raising an eyebrow. 'Well,' Pete grinned, 'You're my top priority, Mikeyway!'

**Author's Note:**

> Excuse any inconsistencies or errors, I haven't slept since the awards
> 
> Feedback is greatly appreciated


End file.
